The funding is coming jointly from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Local councils will be able to bid for a share of £4.5m, based on their need for services.

The money will help to speed up the identification of children who are at risk, give support to reduce the numbers going into care, and provide programmes helping parents through their treatment.

'Access to support'

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "The consequences of alcohol abuse are devastating for those in the grip of an addiction, but for too long, the children of alcoholic parents have been the silent victims. This is not right, nor fair.

"These measures will ensure thousands of children affected by their parent's alcohol dependency have access to the support they need and deserve."

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Media captionSix women share their stories of being the child of an alcoholic with Woman's Hour

Mr Hunt paid tribute to shadow health secretary Mr Ashworth, who has spoken out about his own experiences of growing up with an alcoholic father.

"Some things matter much more than politics, and I have been moved by my Labour counterpart Jon Ashworth's bravery in speaking out so honestly about life as the child of an alcoholic," he said.

"I pay tribute to him and MPs with similar experiences across the House who have campaigned so tenaciously to turn their personal heartache into a lifeline for children in similar circumstances today."